The country has been hit by widespread load shedding over the past week, with businesses complaining that this is affecting productivity.

Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe says the utility has been battling with repairs and maintenance.

“Unfortunately, it’s taking much longer than anticipated, which is why we had to repeat the process that we’ve been doing since the beginning of this week.”

He says diesel is being used to generate power but Eskom is way over budget.

“So far, since the beginning of the financial year, we’ve spent over R800 million. The projection from management is that by the end of the financial year, which is March 2019, we are likely to have spent an addition R800 million.”

Meanwhile, the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry says businesses need to become less reliant on power generated by the utility.

Eskom has warned South Africans to expect load shedding for the next 12 months as it continues with much-needed maintenance.

The chamber’s Janine Myburgh says that businesses should consider getting off Eskom’s power grid.